Dial arrangement applicable to various apparatus



Feb. 27, 1934. R. MELlK-MINAsslANTz 1,949,024

DIAL ARRANGEMENT APPLICABLE To VARIOUS APPARATUS Filed Sept. 29, 1930 /lfB/s wi Patented Feb. 27, 1934 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE DIAL ARRANGEMENT APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS APPARATUS Raphael Melik-Minassiantz, Paris, France 5 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved dsiai arrangement applicable to various apparatus affording different indications by means of pointers 'movable .upon graduated scales. While offer- 5 ing .particular advantages for watches and clocks, the device is further vapplicable to all instruments comprising a dial or quadrant and provided with rotating or oscillating pointers, such as barom- 'eters, ypressure gauges, speed indicators, electric lo measuring instruments, etc.

The essential features of the invention consist: firstly, in mounting in front of the hands or pointers a front plate .having one or more slots of circular or sector shape which allow only the n ends of .the pointers to be seen, which ends can bemade moredistinctly visible by providing them with balls, beads, or the like, of any material or color; secondly, by replacing the pointers themselves by complete Ydisks rotatable on a pivot `nl) shaft in the same manner as the hands, each disk carrying a distinctly'visible indicating member which is movable in the rear of circular slots.

The accompanying drawing shows by way of example an embodiment of the invention as apu plied to a clock dial.

Fig. 1 is an elevational view.

Fig. 2 is a section perpendicular to the plane of the dial A--B of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a like section in which the pointers ,n are replaced by disks.

Fig. 4 is a section showing the means for actuating the said disks substituted for the pointers.

The dial 1 forms the front plate properly so called, and around the outer part are engraved or printed the hour figures. The dial is pierced with a circular slot 2 which is almost continuous, and only a certain number of attaching points 3 are preserved in order to prevent the ring 4 from falling. The edge 5 of said ring forms the large n circumference of a second slot 6 which is bounded by a disk '7 suitably secured to the central stud 11.

The hands 9 and 10 are mounted as usual upon the shaft 1l of the apparatus, about which they rotate, only their ends being seen through the 5 slots 2 and 6. In order to render their indications more clearly visible, facing members 12---121 of any material and color may be mounted on the ends of the hands 9-10, and said members will obviously vary according to the nature of the .50 apparatus with which the dial is used. For watches and clocks, they will usually add to the general decorative effect.

In the example shown in the drawing, it is supposed that the division of the dial into minutes i is formed upon a disk 13 situated in the rear of the front cover or dial, .and thus the said minute divisions will be seen through the 4slot 2. It is observed in Fig. l that the large hand 1 might be visible in the slit 6, but it can be rentirely concealed by mounting the two hands on their shaft with a suflicient spacing to mount between them an imperforate disk 14 (Fig. 2).

In addition to the improvement obtained in the appearance of the apparatus by the absence of visible hands, the said dial offers the advantage 5 of a more easy reading, as the very apparent points consisting of the end facings of the hands are at once visible. In the case of apparatus or instruments which require a periodic cleaning, the Asaid arrangement lessens the ratching of the 70 cleaning appliances upon the hands. On the other hand, for apparatus having multiple hands, such as Watches and clocks, it is possible to provide below the front plate or dial a separation between the planes of the hands which is greater u than in the known apparatus, in which the space is quite limited between the glass rplate and the dial, and thus the catching of the hands upon one another and consequent stopping of the clock is avoided.

Obviously, the aforesaid form of construction is given solely by way of example, and the details of the apparatus may vary to a great degree, provided the essential feature of the invention is maintained, that is, the disposition of a front plate before the hands, which latter are seen solely at their endsv rWhile moving below circular slots.

As shown in Figure 3, the hands may be replaced by complete disks 15-16 rotatable about the shaft in the same manner as the hands, and each carrying a distinctly visible indicating point 151-161 which is movable in the rear of circular slots.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, said pointers are replaced by complete disks rotatable on the pivot shaft after the same manner as the hands and each carrying a visible indicating device, usually in relief, which is movable in the rear of circular slots. 100

This `apparatus with complete disks may be constructed by eliminating the slots and by replacing the clock hands by two superposed disks of different diameters, each carrying an indicating part in relief.

It is obvious that in order to dispense with the m5 1 slots it is necessary to place the smaller disk on the outside, and this affords a construction which may be said to be the reverse of the one employed for the usual clocks, in which the hour hand is the m0 shorter and is positioned below the longer lminute hand. This leads to a modification of the usual clockwork, and as shown in Fig, 4, the central shaft 17, driven by the barrel, is secured by a key to a hub 18 carrying a pinion 19 in constant engagement with a gear wheel 20 mounted loose on an axle 21. The pinion 22, which is connected with a gear Wheel 20, is in gear engagement with a wheel 23 which carries an appendage in the form of a hub 24 which is loose on the hub 18 and on Whose end is mounted a disk 25 carrying an indicating member 26 showing the hours.

A gear wheel 27 secured to the pinion 22 and to the said wheel 20, and having the same number of teeth as the latter, is in gear engagement with a pinion 28 which has the same diameter as the pinion 19 and has an appendage in the shape or a hub 29 which is loose on the hub 24 and carries on its end a disk 30 on which is mounted an indicating member 31 for the minutes. hub 29 carrying the minute disk 30 is shorter than the hub 24 carrying the hour disk 25, and this affords the proper construction embodying the desired feature, that is, the hour disk or hand is situated above the minute disk or hand.

In addition to the simplified construction due to the elimination of a dial with circular slots, an apparatus is obtained which has a more attractive appearance for if the two superpcsed disks are properly arranged, they will appear to be completely stationary, and the two indicating members will alone appear to have a circular motion.

I claim:

l. A dial indicating arrangement comprising a shaft, two hands supported in diiterent planes by the shaft and operating with respect thereto, each hand including a visible pointer located at the end of each hand and movable in circles of different diameters about the shaft, and a disk interposed between the two successive hands for covering one of the hands during movement so that one hand cannot be seen on the path of the other of said hands.

The said 2. A dial indicating arrangement comprising a main dial body provided with a pair of concentrically arranged circular slots, a shaft mounted centrally of the dial body, two hands of diierent lengths each including a support connected with the shaft and a visible pointer on the support, said pointers being arranged in adjacent slots, and a disk interposed between successive hands for preventing the support of one of said hands which moves on a larger diameter from being seen on the path of the other of said hands.

3. A dial arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the disk interposed between successive hands is fixed with one of said hands while the upper hand which describes the smaller circumference indicates the hours.

4. A dial arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the upper and small hand indicates the hours and is constructed in the form of a pointer carried by a disk interposed between said hand and the hand placed immediately below it in such manner that no support is apparent for said upper hand.

5. A dial indicating arrangement comprising a main dial body provided with a series of concentrically arranged circular slots and having inscribed thereon indicia measuring the hours, a disc situated in the rear of the body and provided with a series of graduations designating minutes positioned rearwardly of and visible through the larger of the slots, a shaft mounted centrally of the dial body, two hands of different lengths each including a support connected with the shaft and a pointer at the end of each support, said pointers being arranged in the adjacent slots, and a disc interposed between successive hands for preventing the support of one of said hands which moves on the larger diameter from being seen on the path of the other of said hands.

RAPHAEL MELIK-IWINASSIANTZ. 

